


Surrender the Night

by IMissYouSoFar



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Angst, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-03-13 23:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3399506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IMissYouSoFar/pseuds/IMissYouSoFar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New teacher Gerard Way doesn't know what to do with himself when he feels attracted to one of his high school students, Frank Iero. What will happen when Frank feels the same way?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I knew I liked him from the moment I saw him. I also knew he was a student, a junior in my art class, and I was twenty-seven. He wasn't even eighteen yet, but the attraction stood for no reason at all. The others had been giving him a hard time because he was different. The teen barely uttered a word, never tried to defend himself.

Of course, it had only been my first day teaching here, but I noticed these things and couldn't help it. His eyes were a deep honey color, almost amber. The way his lashes looked over his cheekbones nearly made me shiver for absolutely no reason at all. I couldn’t help but stare at him, mouthing nearly gaping as I took a deep breath.

"Iero, Frank?" I called from the roster form on the computer, snapping out of my thoughts. It was an interesting name.

The shy, dark-haired boy raised a hand, never taking his eyes off the ground. He refused to look anywhere else but there. Frank could have burnt a hole with how intense his gaze was. His face was burning red, and I knew then that something was wrong.

"Here," he said, voice soft as ever. But I could tell there was so much more to him.

The other students started snickering, and Frank lowered his head. A sick feeling set in my stomach. I know what it was like being  _that_ kid. My heart went out to him instantly.

“Did I say it right? ‘I-air-oh’?” I asked curiously, leaning over my desk as I gave him my full attention. Frank shook his head slowly, inhaling deeply.

He pointed to his eye, then his ear before forming his mouth in an ‘O’ shape. “It’s pronounced ‘Eye-ear-oh,’ Mr. Way,” he murmured, and I barely heard him over the sound of the teenagers’ giggling. What was so funny to them? A senior in the class, Peter as I later found out, kept poking his friend in the ribs. His lips were moving, but I didn’t know what they were saying. Once I turned back to my computer was when I heard it. That word, the one that I held a deep hatred for.

“Iero’s a faggot, what do you expect?”

I whipped around on my heels, slamming my palms on Peter’s desk. _“Excuse me?”_ I questioned darkly, seeing tinges of scarlet in my vision. “I do not tolerate slurs in my classroom, especially that idiotic word. The next time I hear it used, you will be sent to the office, never to return to make up your credits here.” Brushing the hair out of my eyes, I looked up with a serious expression on my face. “Do I make myself clear?” Peter didn’t seem too intimidated by me, but I didn’t care, not even a bit. I got my point across.

“Yes, Mr. Way,” the class said, almost in unison. Catching a glimpse of Frank, I saw him smirking at me. He averted his eyes when my gaze met his.

 

I took a seat at my desk after handing each of them a piece of sketching paper. "Class," I said firmly, gaining attention. "I would like each of you to draw where you would like to be right now. This isn't for a grade, so don't worry about presentation. Just as long as you try to capture the image you think of."

I once had to do this while I was in art school. The teacher considered it a filler project, and she didn’t expect much detail to be put into it. But that didn’t matter to me. Each bit of artwork I did was special to me in some way, and I put as much effort as possible into it. I thought it turned out pretty good. What I drew was a picture of my grandmother and I eating dinner, and I made it look like we were both laughing.

Everybody got to work. As I walked around the room, I saw that a lot of the students were drawing a television set, a computer, and a bed. Their bedrooms looked the same to me.  _Out of anywhere else in the entire world, would everybody rather be in their bedrooms?_ I thought to myself, adjusting my tie. My converse were scuffed, but I didn't care; I liked it that way. 

Frank kept his arms around his paper, a secret to everybody but himself. He didn't look very happy; he looked tired, in fact. Eyes red, puffy, almost looking like he was about to cry or had just been crying. I felt bad and I wanted to ask him what was the matter, but the bell rang. The noise was shrill and so high-pitched that it hurt my ears. The students started to scramble around the room like honeybees.

"Please leave your papers on your work spaces!" I shouted, standing on my toes to project my voice. Frank was the last one in the room, and he looked at me as I collected everything. When I got to his desk, he looked me dead in the eye. I broke the gaze painfully. He hadn't drawn anything but a single word on the paper.

 ** _Away_** , it read.

When I looked back up to say something to him, Frank was gone, and I was left alone in this cold room. 

"Me, too," I whispered to myself. And it seemed like my words were sucked up by the atmosphere.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up in my messy bed, my ink black hair a mess. Papers were all over the room and art supplies were scattered about the room. I had been working on a new project recently. The piece was a giant mosaic of painted landscapes that would be put together to make one big scene. It wasn’t at all original, but my mother requested it for her next birthday present. She had always loved my artwork since I had been a little kid.

The shower I had to take was unsatisfying, the water getting cold too fast. Also, the fact that shampoo dripped into my eyes wasn’t too desirable, either. After quickly blow-drying my hair, I gelled it up just a little to get that perfect messy look that was aesthetically pleasing to me.

Pouring myself a quick cup of coffee put me into a better mood, and it brought me out of my sleepy state. Since I lived alone, I rarely had to worry about all of the unruliness that were the clusters of random things around the apartment. There were some instruments in the back room, a hodgepodge of different comics in another, and just obscure things that were fun to look at, in my eyes. We couldn’t rule out the random bursts of color in the carpet due to paints spilling. I had an office, but that was the only thing that stayed at least half organized.

“Keys, keys, keys,” I mumbled as I paced around the kitchen, looking for the place I had just set them down. Little did I know that they were already in my jacket pocket. Sighing to myself, I finally realized I was going to be late unless I left right then. My feet moved faster than my brain and I was out the door in seconds, starting my car and speeding off.

Traffic was terrible, especially since a bunch of teenagers were in front of me. They irritated me when it came to driving, and their behavior infuriated me. Hopefully I wouldn’t get any other students like Peter, but I knew I would. Frank, on the other hand, seemed like a lovely person. It was as if I couldn’t get him completely out of my mind. The thoughts began to make me nervous. It was illegal to be in a relationship with a student, even if they were the age to give consent. I had seen his age in the student info box for the teachers to look at. It was nearly October again, and he would be seventeen. The legal consenting age in New Jersey was sixteen.

_Why the hell am I thinking about this?_ I thought to myself, suddenly remembering I needed to turn left in order to get to the school.

The cold air hitting my face as I walked through the parking lot brought me back to reality. Frank was my student, and he could be nothing more than that.

I spotted my brother, Mikey, walking from the student lot, carrying his book bag on his left shoulder. He was a senior, just a grade above Frank. Maybe he would know more about him… _Shut up, Gerard,_ I kept reminding myself, pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand.

“Hey, Gee,” Mikey greeted sleepily once I caught up to him. He wasn’t the most popular kid, but I knew for a fact that he was friends with quite a few people. “Do you think you could buy my lunch today? I forgot my wallet at home, and I won’t have time to go back and get it.”

A smile spread across my face as I looked at him. Even though he was my little brother, he was still taller than I was. “Sure,” I mumbled, opening the door for him. Mikey stepped inside and thanked me before walking off to his first class. I had to grade some papers before any students arrived. There were nearly a hundred papers and I had only an hour to check through them. A few of my classes had worked on something else rather the practice drawing. They picked an art book from my collection, and answered a few questions.

I practically ran to the art room, spilling some coffee on my shirt sleeve. “Fucking hell,” I cursed under my breath, surprised to see Frank standing in front of me. He looked nervous as he picked at his nails. Nobody else was in the room, since this was my planning period. I was a little confused as to why he was here.

“Are you alright, Frank?” I asked him, genuinely concerned for his well-being. The teenager’s breathing picked up, and he was shaking. I knew what this was, and I wanted to calm him down. Anxiety attacks weren’t fun.

Tears welled in Frank’s eyes. “I-I’m sorry, Mr. Way, but I just. . . I can’t go to gym right now. I’m being really stupid,” he whispered, looking as if he might get sick.

I rapidly shook my head and set my things down on top of my desk. “Hey,” I said in a light voice, “I understand. I have anxiety problems, too. Why don’t you stay in here with me for a while until you’re ready to go to class?” He started to nod slowly.

I didn’t understand why he came to me for help, but I was glad to have at least a little trust. After he sat down, I walked over and got a plastic cup from the cabinet, filling it with water from the sink. I set it down next to him before pulling up a chair myself. He was wearing a _Black Flag_ t-shirt.

“That band is awesome,” I commented, gaining a tiny smile from him. He tugged at the hem of his shirt, staring at the floor like he always did. “You know, if you ever need to, I’ll always be right here. And you have my school email if I’m not in my classroom.”

“Thank you, Mr. Way,” he said gently. I chuckled before I saw him start to fidget, looking up to meet my gaze. “Can I give you a quick hug?” I nodded, and suddenly, his arms were squeezing around my chest tightly. It felt really nice, actually, just giving him a simple hug.

After a moment, I let go and started walking to my desk so I could write him a pass. My hand quickly scribbled out the time and my name on the sticky note, handing it to him. “I’ll see you third hour,” I told him, watching him walk out of the room. “And, Frank?” I called, making him come to a stop in the doorway. He turned around to face me. “You can call me Gerard, if you would like that.”

() ()

 

The next few hours went by quickly, and I found myself in a better mood for a majority of the time. Frank was quiet in the class, but we made eye contact and smiled at each other a lot. That was okay, right? To be friends with him? I just wanted to keep him feeling protected.

When it came time for lunch, I met Mikey in the cafeteria and gave him the money he needed. My eyes drifted over, and my gaze landed on Frank, sitting all alone, listening to music. He barely even picked at his food. “Mikey, do you know Frank Iero?” I asked finally, stopping him before he could walk away.

“That weird kid? I don’t really talk to him. Why?”

I nudged him in the direction of Frank. “I want you to sit with him today since I gave you the money for lunch. Be as nice as possible, okay? He’s got a good taste in music, now why don’t you go ask him about it?” I muttered, seeing a look of confusion wash over my brother’s face.

“Okay, I guess so,” he said, a tinge of curiosity in his voice as he shuffled over to Frank. Mikey moved his hands a bit as he talked, and Frank looked over to me. I moved my head down once and the corners of my lips curled up a bit. He held out his hand to Mikey, and the taller one set his bag down at the table before going to get food.

My blood ran cold as the thought entered my mind again. _You like him. You like him a lot._


	3. Chapter 3

The next week went by slowly, and once I had a set routine, it seemed like everything fell into place. Frank was there most days, but on Friday, I noticed his absence.

Maybe he was sick, but I tried my best not to worry. Frank wasn’t helpless, I knew that was for sure.

I continued to teach like I normally did, giving the students their practice papers for their projects. There was murmuring going about the room as always, but there seemed to be more of it on this particular day. One set of students’ conversation seemed to catch my attention.

“Did you hear about what happened to that Iero kid? His dad found out about what Evan did to him. Apparently, he didn’t like the idea of his son being a homo and-”

I was forced to tune out of the gossip when the door opened. Frank entered, in a hoodie, looking down as he walked towards me with his pass. All eyes went on his and the room fell silent. The teenager’s face was all bruised up, and he had a black eye, his lip split. His head stayed bent low, but his eyes went about the room, looking at all of the faces staring at him. His feet shuffled over the paint-stained floor, and a tear in his jeans got snagged on the side of the table.

“Fucking hell,” I heard him swear quietly, trying his best to pick the fabric away from the corner while keeping his head down low.

I took this as my cue to take back charge of the classroom, get everybody’s attention away from Frank and back to their work. There were a few snickers, a couple coughs, and a whole lot of whispers by then.

“Class, get back to work,” I said simply, walking next to Frank to explain what we were doing. Absentmindedly, I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he winced. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” I asked him quietly.

He scoffed, not looking me in the eyes. “I’m fine,” he deadpanned before grabbing a pencil. I explained the project as best as I could to him and he got to work, barely getting started before the bell rang. He hurried to put the practice sheet in his folder, scurrying out the door.

If I was going to find out what happened, it had to be now or never. I was nearly chasing after him, trying really hard not to trip over my shoelaces, which had come undone.

“Frank, what happened?” I asked, and I didn’t mean for it to be so loud. He nearly cringed before turning back to me, darkness in his eyes because I made everybody start to stare.

“Unless a student tells you about it first, it is inappropriate to ask about their personal life. I fell, _Mr. Way,_ ” he uttered, and the way he said my name made me want to whimper. He hadn’t called me Gerard this time. Frank even said it like it was poisonous, and he spat it out before it could burn his throat.  
He was gone in an instant, and I was left choking on my pride. Something was terribly wrong; I could feel it.

 

 Since Frank had been so stern with me, I didn’t check on him during lunch, and I tried my best not to think about him for the rest of the day. It was the weekend and instead of grading papers like I should have been, I took a nap as soon as I got home from the school, still in my clothes and all. When I woke up, the sky had gone dark and I was hungry. Stretching my body, I made a small squeaking noise, leaning over to get up.

It was quite lonely here, and most of the time, the lack of sound bothered me. I mumbled to myself a lot. As I looked for food in the cabinets, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Unlocking it, I saw that I still got notifications from my ex boyfriend. We had been together for five years and only broken up a little over a year from that day.

“Looks like he’s getting married now,” I whispered to myself. I didn’t feel any pain from this, but I began to wonder if he even loved me at all. This had been his house, too, at one time. He was studying to be a doctor, and had just gotten his first job when we broke out in a terrible argument.  
Julian complained that we didn’t have enough sex, which upset me a great deal. Words were exchanged, and eventually, we both decided it would be best if he left that night. A month or two later, he wanted to work things out, but I turned him down. I didn’t need somebody like that in my life.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I saw that my freezer was nearly empty. The only thing still in there was a bag of frozen peas that I couldn’t bring myself to remember purchasing. When was the last time I went grocery shopping? I had no clue.  
Sighing to myself, I took off my tie and my dress shirt and cast them both to my bedroom floor once I reached my room. I pulled on an old t-shirt and a jacket before grabbing my keys and heading out.

I hated driving at night, especially after just waking up from a four-hour nap. Something caught my eye, though, somebody sitting alone at the park, smoking a cigarette. Was that Frank? It couldn’t be.. He wasn’t even old enough to buy a pack by himself. Of course, he could have asked a stranger for one, or even stolen some from his parents, but that still didn’t answer my question as to why he was sitting alone at night. In the cold, even. The closer to the park I got, the more I noticed. He was crying, and his chest seemed to be wet, soaked with something. It looked like vomit.

“Frank?” I called out from the lowered window. “Frank, are you okay?” I was extremely worried about him. He was shaking with sobs as he threw out the cigarette, gagging on his breaths. Another panic attack maybe? No, this didn’t look like before. He just looked absolutely heartbroken.

Frank slowly turned to face me and covered his mouth. “I’m okay, Gerard,” he said, and I could barely understand him. After parking, I got out of the car and sat next to him on the bench. He put his face in his hands, leaning over, and I dared to rub a hand over his back in slow circles.  
I asked in a soft voice, “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

Frank shook his head slowly, but cried harder. “Please don’t make me go home. I-I’m sorry for snapping at y-you earlier. B-but please just leave me here,” he begged me, and I wanted to hold him.

After thinking about it for a few moments, I took off my jacket and draped it over his shoulders, looking at him with a gentle expression. “Would you like to stay with me tonight? You can get cleaned up, have a nice meal after I’ve gone to the store, and you can sleep in my guest bedroom. There’s a mess of art supplies, but I can clean it out. And you can borrow some nice, warm, comfy clothes. Would that be okay?” I whispered, giving a tiny smile. Frank nodded after a few minutes of thinking, and I let us both sit in the silence while I waited for his answer. Standing up, I helped him up and to my car, feeling the need to protect him from the rest of the cruel world.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while and that this chapter was so short. I just got out for summer vacation, so I should update more. Expect more from me soon!

“Frank, would you like any coffee?” I asked when I unlocked the door, groceries hanging from my arms. The teenager slowly shook his head and looked around my living room. “I know, it’s a mess. I am an art teacher.” He chuckled softly, but it seemed to be a bit forced.

After putting everything away, I sat down next to Frank on the couch. He had his hands together and in between his knees. “Will you be quiet about this?” he asked me suddenly, and I tipped my head to the side. “I mean, I have enough about me going around the school.”

I nodded quickly, rubbing a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m too fucking creepy.’ I thought to myself, hoping Frank didn’t find these actions too odd or out of the ordinary. Yeah, I had a crush, but that didn’t mean it was the reason I offered to let him stay the night. He was sobbing, begging me not to take him home. It was my job to keep my students safe.

“Peter makes fun of me a lot,” Frank blurted after a few moments of silence. “His friend...h-he..” He stopped talking, shaking his head a few times. I knew then he was hiding more about himself, but I wouldn’t press. That wasn’t right to do.

“I’ll protect you,” I whispered, and he looked up at me with watery eyes. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and I did the same for him, holding him close to my chest.

I wouldn’t ever let go.

 

()()

 

When I woke up the next morning, I saw that the blankets on the couch were folded up and Frank was nowhere to be seen. I felt a little nervous, but I knew Frank had to return home sometime. He couldn’t stay at my house for the rest of his life. No, his family would want him back. I couldn’t help but think about how amazing his laugh was, and how much I had grown to appreciate every smile he had to offer the world. He just...lit up the room.

“Stop,” I said out loud, because I couldn’t think this way of him, or anybody from school. I didn’t know why I was so hung up on him, but the whole day I spent reminding myself it wasn’t right.

 

()()

 

“Maury, what are you looking at that is so important?” I asked a girl in my class, seeing that she and her group of friends were surrounding her phone. My eyes widened when i caught a glimpse of what it was.

“It’s nothing, Mr. Way,” she said, giggling as they glanced over in Frank’s direction. He seemed almost happy today, working on his new project with a grin on his face.

It was a video of Frank with his mouth around some other guy, and I instantly felt terrible for him. Maybe this is what he had started to say… A boy took advantage of him and showed the whole school. Of course, it would have never died down in a place like this. 


End file.
